Special guests draw fans to Motor City Comic Con in Novi

Comic book enthusiasts, sci-fi fans and adherents of numerous other genres will soon be able to geek out to their hearts' desires next weekend.

The 24th Annual Motor City Comic Con will be May 17-19 at the Suburban Showplace Collection in Novi. The event features guests and exhibitors from the comic book industry, film and television stars and merchants of collectibles.

This year's highlight is an appearance by comic book legend Stan Lee on May 18.

Lee is known for collaborating with artists including Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and Bill Everett to create classic Marvel Comics superheroes including the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Thor, the X-Men and Iron Man.

Advertisement

"Stan is like a living legend in the comic book world," said Michael Goldman, owner of Motor City Comics and the convention's promoter. "If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't be in this business that I've been doing for 28 years."

Television and film guests include, among many others, Norman Reedus, who portrays Daryl on AMC's "The Walking Dead," Edward James Olmos, who starred in "Battlestar Galactica," and Tom Savini, who most recently appeared in Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained" and was a professional make-up effects artist for films such as George Romero's "Dawn of the Dead" and "Day of the Dead."

Goldman said the annual event has seen massive growth in attendance throughout its history and expects nearly 20,000 attendees for this year's show.

The Detroit area is a unique setting for a comic convention, he added, given the medium's popularity in the region.

"What sets Detroit apart is that it's a huge comic book market," Goldman said. "We still have more comic book stores per capita of any major city in the country."

The market for comic books and collectibles in Detroit is still going strong despite the recent economic downturn that had plagued the region; fans and collectors haven't been deterred from indulging in their passions, Goldman said.

"The hobby didn't suffer because of the economy and recession," he said. "They would rather spend the money on things that make them happy."

Most of all, the convention gives fans of many different genres a chance to flock together to enjoy their hobbies.

"It's a place to hang out with a lot of other people that really enjoy the same things you do," Goldman said. "It's cool to be a nerd again."

The convention kicks off Friday, May 17, running from 12:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. that day, 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 18 and 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 19.